Kadrî of Pergamon

Kadrî of Pergamon, also known by his Turkish name Bergamalı Kadrî, was a notable Ottoman linguist and author active in the 16th century. He is primarily recognized for authoring an early grammar book on the Ottoman language, titled *Müyessiretü’l-ulûm*, which translates to "Facilitator of Knowledge." This work is considered the first grammar book written in a Western Oghuz Turkish language. Little is documented about Kadrî's life, with most information derived from his own writings. The moniker "Bergamalı" suggests he was born and raised in Bergama, the ancient city of Pergamon. At some point, he relocated to Istanbul. It was there, in 1530, that he completed and presented his groundbreaking grammar book to Ibrahim Pasha, the influential grand vizier of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The structure of *Müyessiretü’l-ulûm* includes an introductory section featuring a poem in praise of Ibrahim Pasha, the date of composition, the author's motivations, and an outline of the book's main themes. Kadrî defines the concept of a "word" (*kelime*) and categorizes it into three main types: noun (*isim*), verb (*fiil*), and particle/postposition (*harf*). His grammatical explanations often drew parallels with Arabic grammar. The subsequent part of the book delves into the specifics of nouns. As a demonstration of his grammatical analysis, Kadrî examines a poem by the poet Hayâlî, applying the rules of grammar to both its literary and linguistic aspects. A manuscript of Kadrî's work was brought to scholarly attention in 1911 by Mehmet Tahir of Bursa. It was later published in facsimile by Besim Atalay in 1946. Although the original manuscript was subsequently lost, a potential match has been identified with Ms. or.oc.2056 in a Frankfurt library. The book received further scholarly attention when it was edited by Esra Karabacak and published by the Turkish Language Association in 2002. In recognition of his contributions, a statue of Kadrî, sculpted by Ekin Erman, was erected in the city center of Bergama by the Bergama Municipality in 2016.